As seen on the exhibition: new Sunlight readable displays for explosion-protected HMI systems

No more glare…

The poor readability of displays in outdoor environments, in particular those under direct sunlight, is a common, but often underrated problem. Poor readability may cause input errors, and as a consequence may lead to faults in production processes. Increasing the screen brightness will increase the power consumption, attaching enclosure shields may throw shadows on the screen, and both do not really solve this problem.

With the innovative polarization filter system, STAHL HMI has now developed the optimal solution: the intelligent polarization filter system consists of a package of filters and deflects the sunlight, while backlight intensity and image quality remain almost unchanged. This new system offers very good screen readability for outdoor displays, and thus ensures more safety for the system and process control.

Certified for hazardous gas and dust explosion zones 1, 2, 21 and 22, the Open HMIs are fitted with low-energy CPUs from the Intel Atom series and consist of explosion-protected modules. These touch screen systems can be operated in rugged environments and even at continuously extreme ambient temperatures between -30 °C and +50 °C.

Unlike any standard filters used so far, this filter pack hardly affects the image display for viewers: although the sunlight readable displays can be adjusted to up to 1,000 cd/m², they are already easily readable even in direct sunlight with a luminescence of 700 to 800 cd/m².